A positive test, but Luzardo is ‘feeling good’
Jesús Luzardo, the A’s highly regarded young pitcher, has tested positive for the coronavirus, and it’s unclear when he will be able to join the team’s workouts.
Luzardo, a 22yearold lefthander, will have to selfisolate under Major League Baseball health protocols. He must test negative for the virus twice in tests taken at least 24 hours apart before being cleared to return, per MLB.
In a text message to The Chronicle, Luzardo wrote: “I’m feeling good, just ready to get going once I get 2 negatives; praying for it to be soon.”
The A’s have declined to discuss any positive tests among players or staff during their trainingcamp intake process. Manager Bob Melvin said on a conference call Tuesday morning that Luzardo would not be on the field, and “that’s about as far as I can go with it.”
Luzardo and fellow starter Mike Fiers had not been cleared to practice as of Sunday because of “pending issues.” Fiers was cleared to practice Tuesday, Melvin said.
Fiers and Luzardo worked out together in South Florida during baseball’s shutdown. Fiers would have needed to be cleared if it was determined he had close contact with a positive case.
The A’s experienced a lag in receiving results of some playerintake tests conducted Friday; however, those results came in Monday evening and the A’s scheduled a fullteam workout Tuesday at the Coliseum. Melvin said “all position players” were expected to take part in Tuesday’s workout.
A player who tests positive would need to be cleared by a team physician and a joint committee of MLB and its players’ union as no longer presenting risk of infection before rejoining the team.
Other teams besides the A’s have experienced testing delays — on Tuesday, the Giants canceled their workouts and the Cubs pushed back practice because of delayed results. That came a day after MLB gave a statement acknowledging “unforeseen delays” in testing over the holiday weekend and saying it did “not expect a recurrence.”
A’s reliever Jake Diekman, who is atrisk because of a history of ulcerative colitis, voiced concern about the testing issues on a conference call Tuesday afternoon.
“I know they’re trying their hardest, but I don’t know if that’s good enough for right now,” Diekman said. “It’s a little worrisome. Say we go on a 10day road trip, but we only get results one time. That’s not very good with 45, 50 people in the clubhouse at one time.”
Diekman said he would like MLB to release “an actual report of how many people” have tested positive for the virus. MLB said Friday that in intake testing of 3,185 people, 31 players and seven staff members had tested positive. Diekman expressed skepticism at that total and said a “realistic” number could increase public calls for MLB to open a second lab to process tests.
“We have to get testing more than three or four days out, otherwise the entire clubhouse will be infected on a 10day road trip and then we’re all screwed,” Diekman said. “I’m highrisk, so I’m going to have to speak out for it. I don’t want to get sick.”
On Tuesday morning’s call with media, Melvin indicated the circumstances with Luzardo might require the A’s to adjust their rotation plans to begin the season. The A’s are scheduled to host the Angels in their season opener July 24.
“We’ve had a little bit of a setback here early on, so we’ll get that figured out as we go along,” Melvin said. “We really have three or four guys I’d be really comfortable with (to start the opener). So we’ll figure it out as we go along.”
Luzardo is not necessarily precluded from starting the season with the A’s; however, if he does join the team during camp, he will have an even shorter window than other starters to prepare for the 60game schedule. The A’s plan to build their starters up to about 65 pitches by the end of training camp, which would allow them to throw 75 to 80 in their first regularseason outings.
If the A’s need a fifth starter, righthander Chris Bassitt would be a strong candidate to open the season in the rotation. Bassitt has pitched in a swingman role with the A’s and started 25 games last season. Melvin has said the A’s “have to include” Bassitt in the starter conversation.
Lefthander A.J. Puk could be slightly behind other starters after being shut down during spring training with a shoulder strain. With teams allowed 30 players to start the season, though, the A’s could carry extra relievers or consider using tandem starters, with a designated starter and a long reliever carrying a regular starter’s workload.